Hughes, who skated with the top power-play unit Sunday, leads Vancouver and is third among NHL defensemen with 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 34 games. He was labeled as questionable going into the game Dec. 23. He played 24:45 and had two assists in a 4-3 win, but the Canucks have gone 1-2-1 in the four games he has missed.

Vancouver Canucks’ general manager Patrik Allvin told Sportsnet last week that Elias Pettersson needs to understand that after signing a monster contract extension to stay with the team, the hard part is only just getting started.

In one of insider Elliotte Friedman’s recent editions of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, he mentioned the rift between Vancouver Canucks forwards Elias Pettersson and J.T.